The site uses a mix of tools (aka bricks). It is a personal information site, but is also evolving into a Community, Content, and Collaboration Management System (C3MS), using the terminology first proposed by Daniel Schneider's group at TECFA (see http://tecfa.unige.ch/proj/seed/catalog/docs/edmedia2002.pdf, 2002; http://tecfa.unige.ch/proj/seed/catalog/papers.html). The advantage of a C3MS bricks design is that it is possible to integrate various tools into a more comprehensive system. One current disadvantage is that it is difficult to maintain a consistent appearance across pages.

For example, over time, much of the content I created initially here has been moved to the Inquiry Page and I included a search command for my Inquiry Units in the sidebar. I also use version 2 iLabs bricks for content such as lists of resources and a web log. I use version 3 iLabs bricks for other functions, such as a forum and document center. The reasons for this mix of Inquiry Page, version 2, and version 3 iLabs bricks are mostly convenience. In some cases it is not easy to migrate content easily across the systems, or different systems offer unique functions. Although I make extensive use of these C3MS support systems, I chose not to use the default home page display, because I wanted to have more control over the design and to mix bricks from each of these, as well as other systems. Thus, the iLabs default "home page" simply redirects to my home page.